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I don’t know if there’s any salad that says “Summer” more than a simple creamy cucumber salad. This salad is so light and fresh, and it only takes minutes to make, so it’s the perfect side dish for all of your summer meals.
“Love this recipe! Reminds me of the one my grandmother made when I was a kid. Thank you.”
Carla H.
Easy Recipe for Creamy Cucumber Salad
There’s nothing fancy about this creamy cucumber salad, and that’s exactly why I love it. It’s just crisp cucumbers, a little red onion, and a creamy homemade dressing made with sour cream, lemon juice, dill, and a touch of sugar. The texture, the tangy dressing, the hint of sweetness…it all just works. I’ll make a batch to go with dinner and end up eating half of it straight from the bowl before it even hits the table!
Creamy cucumber salad is often made with fresh dill, but since fresh dill can sometimes be hard to find or more expensive, I made the version below with dried dill. You can certainly use fresh dill if you have access to it. I’d use about 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill in place of the dried dill listed below.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
- ½ cup sour cream ($0.49*)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.08)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar ($0.02**)
- ½ tsp dried dill ($0.05)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 large cucumber ($0.67***)
- ¼ red onion ($0.25)
To make the dressing, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, sugar, dill, and salt in a bowl. Set the dressing aside.
Peel the cucumbers, if desired. Slice the cucumbers and thinly slice the red onions.
Combine the cucumber, red onion, and dressing in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Let the salad sit for 5-10 minutes, give it another stir, then serve.
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**Sugar helps create flavor balance against the rich sour cream and acidic lemon juice. Some people prefer to leave out the sugar, which is an option if you prefer.
***You can use conventional or English cucumbers for this recipe, but I suggest scraping out the seeds if using conventional cucumbers. It’s totally up to you whether or not you want to peel the cucumbers. I love the contrast of color the peel provides, but you can peel them if you prefer.
Serving: 1cupCalories: 74kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSodium: 302mgFiber: 1g
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How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad Step-by-Step videos
Make the dressing: Stir together ½ cup sour cream, ½ tsp dried dill, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar, and ½ tsp salt.
Prep the veggies: Peel the cucumbers, if desired. Slice one large cucumber and thinly slice ¼ of a red onion. It’s totally up to you how thick you want to slice your cucumber. I aim for about ⅛ to ¼ inch thick when I make this salad.
Assemble the salad: Add the cucumber, onion, and dressing to a large bowl. If you’re adding any extra veggies (see my suggestions below), you can add them here too.
Rest and serve: Stir to combine. I like to let the salad sit for about 5-10 minutes before serving, just to let the flavors combine a bit. Give it a good stir again before serving.
Enjoy this super fresh summer salad immediately!
What Else Can I Add?
This super simple creamy cucumber salad is really flexible, and many people make their own unique versions. If you want to branch out from the basic version, here are a few other ingredients you can try:
- Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream
- Mayonnaise (2-4 Tbsp) to make the dressing extra rich
- White vinegar in place of the lemon juice (this gives the salad a tangier flavor)
- Radishes, sliced, for extra crunch and color
- White onion in place of the red onion
- Grape tomatoes, halved
Serving Suggestions
When I make this creamy cucumber salad, I usually build the rest of the meal around it. It’s so refreshing next to anything grilled! I love it with grilled shrimp, but any grilled meat, seafood, or veggies would be great. If we’re having something spicy like Nashville hot chicken, I’ll bring out this salad to balance the heat. Or for a light summer dinner, I’ll pair it with our ditalini pesto pasta salad and call it done. And when crab cakes are on the menu? I’ll make a little extra dressing and use it as a dipping sauce!
Storage & Meal Prep Instructions
This salad is best when freshly made because the salt in the dressing will draw the moisture out of the cucumbers and cause the salad to get watery if refrigerated for a day or more. Luckily, this salad is really easy to scale down! If this doesn’t bother you, you can store your leftovers in the fridge for about 3-4 days, depending on the freshness of your ingredients. Give it a good stir before serving again.
However, if you’re planning to eat the leftovers for a few days, you can salt the cucumbers ahead of time to draw out the excess water. Just note that salting the cucumbers will make them softer (which is not my personally preferred method as I like them crunchy).
To pre-salt the cucumbers, place the sliced cucumbers in a large colander and toss with ½ tsp salt. Let the cucumbers drain for about half an hour, then pat dry with a paper towel. Since the cucumbers will already have some salt on them, skip adding salt to the sour cream dressing and just add salt to taste once the salad is assembled.
Our Creamy Cucumber Salad recipe was originally published 6/6/22. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 7/21/25.
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